Darlington MP Alan Milburn warned the Government today not to "sleepwalk" its way to the next General Election while the Tories built up momentum with new policies.

The former Health Secretary said he believed Michael Howard would be more of a challenge as the new Tory leader and this was probably "quite good" for the Labour Party.

Mr Milburn said: "We don't want to be stuck purely defending our record. I think we have a good record, but we really need to be thinking about what the future might hold."

He also called for Labour to spread wealth by making it easier for poorer people to own their own homes. He said in a national newspaper that wider asset ownership should be a key part of Labour's appeal to voters in the 2005-6 poll. It would help give it the winning edge by making it the "party of aspiration".